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10 Must-Watch Charlize Theron Action Films(Photo Credit –Instagram)

With The Old Guard 2 on Netflix, Charlize Theron marks a triumphant return to the action genre. In her element, the South African actress has made a name for herself as an action star, charming audiences with diverse roles, including some wicked characters.

In the same vein, let’s take a look at the 10 best action movies where Theron had an adrenaline-filled role, according to the ratings on IMDb.

1. Mad Max: Fury Road IMDb rating: 8.1 Year of release: 2015 Director: George Miller Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video

Plot: Set in a world where an apocalypse rendered the outside barren, the fourth in the Mad Max series stars Tom Hardy as the titular Max. Charlize Theron shines as Imperator Furiosa, an ex-soldier for cult chief Immortan Joe.

At the onset, Furiosa goes rogue, escaping with five of Immortan’s wives in an armoured supply vehicle.

As far as contemporary movie stardom goes, Brad Pitt recently proved his worth with the sports drama F1. But if there's one star who consistently gets butts on seats in theaters and eyeballs glued to television screens, it's Jason Statham. Over a career that has survived and evolved across three decades, Statham has headlined old-school action vehicles, starred in major studio franchises, and appeared in a couple of blockbusters that have passed the coveted $1 billion mark at the global box office. One of them is The Fate of the Furious, the eighth installment of the long-running action franchise, which is now racing up the Netflix streaming charts.

According to FlixPatrol, The Fate of the Furiousfinished fifth on Netflix on June 30, beating titles such as Raid 2, The Old Guard, and 28 Weeks Later. The movie earned 228 points on June 30, and has accumulated a total of nearly 800 points on Netflix so far this month.

Eight years ago, Jason Statham and Kurt Russell starred in the eighth installment in an action movie franchise that would go on to span two decades (and counting). Led by Vin Diesel, the eighth Fast & Furiousfilm, The Fate of the Furious, was also the first film in the franchise without the late Paul Walker.

Now, almost a decade later, The Fate of the Furiousis making its way up the global streaming charts, per FlixPatrol. The film, written by Gary Scott Thompson and Chris Morgan and directed by F. Gary Gray, is, as of June 27, No. 5 on Netflix’s global charts.The Fate of the Furious is ahead of movies like Land of Bad, Raid 2, The Valet, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, and Case 39.

A Hugely Successful Film in the Fast & Furious Franchise

The movie is one of the more successful films in the franchise and follows Dom (Vin Diesel), who...

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Tubi might not be as big as some of the other popular streaming services, but it does have some of the best movies and TV shows of recent times, and that too for absolutely free. The Fox-owned streaming service adds a ton of new monthly content to its ever-expanding library. So, we thought of compiling a list of the best new movies and TV shows coming to Tubi in July 2025.

Bones And All (July 1) Credit – MGM

Bones and All is a romantic horror film directed by Luca Guadagnino from a screenplay by David Kajganich. Based on the 2015 novel of the same name by Camille DeAngelis, the 2022 film is set in the 1980s and revolves around two young cannibals who fall in love with each other during a cross-country road trip. Bones and All stars Taylor Russell, Timothée Chalamet,...

With Fast X: Part 2 bringing the Fast & Furious saga to a close, fans now have a more accessible way to catch up on one of the action film series' most successful installments. The Fate of the Furious is set for a free streaming premiere on Tubi this summer as fans await the long-anticipated franchise finale.

Per ComicBook.com, The Fate of the Furious is one of several movies debuting via Tubi in July 2025, hitting the free streaming platform on July 1. This news is a break for fans, as the eighth film in the Fast & Furious franchise has previously either been available to rent or purchase on Prime Video, or to stream only to Peacock subscribers.

The Fate of the Furious Was Massive for the Fast & Furious Franchise

2017's The Fate of the Furious was the first Fast & Furious movie not to feature the late Paul Walker,...

Exclusive: Craig Brewer has been set by Universal Pictures to direct what the studio believes will be the definitive biopic of Snoop Dogg in his growth from hip hop star to iconic entertainment mogul.

Brewer will contribute revisions to a script previously written by Joe Robert Cole. The film will be produced by Snoop Dogg, Brian Grazer and Death Row Pictures president Sara Ramaker. SVP Production Development Ryan Jones will oversee the project for the studio.

Brewer, whose gritty music-driven films include Hustle & Flow and Dolomite is My Name, most recently directed Song Sung Blue for Universal’s specialty studio Focus Features, which will be released domestically on December 25, 2025.

The Snoop Dogg film is the first project under Death Row Pictures’ overall deal with NBCUniversal Entertainment & Studios. It’s an outgrowth of Death Row Records, the label that launched Snoop Dogg’s star and now embarks on an ambitious new chapter with the expansion.

Over the last few decades, China’s market has undergone a massive seismic transformation. Evolving from a tightly controlled industry into one of the biggest box offices in the world, the second largest to be precise following the United States.

With the expansion of cinema infrastructure, a burgeoning middle class, and a growing appetite for high-quality cinematic experiences, as proven by Ne Zha 2, China has now become a critical battleground for Hollywood movies. Yet, even with its huge size, appetite, and potential, success in this market is not guaranteed.

With the influx of high-quality domestic content, coupled with censorship and government quotas limiting foreign films to 34 annually, Hollywood films are facing severe challenges as they navigate cultural sensitivities and compete with local blockbusters. Yet, in spite of these hurdles, several Hollywood films have achieved extraordinary success, grossing billions in Chinese Yuan and shaping global box office trends.

So, here are...

A classic Gerard Butler action movie has become a streaming hit more than 15 years after it hit theaters. Butler stars alongside Jamie Foxx in Law Abiding Citizen, the crime drama that follows a man who takes justice into his own hands after someone who killed one of his family members goes free. The film is streaming exclusively on Starz, where it has climbed to the top of the streamer’s charts, sitting at #1 at the time of writing. This profound success comes not long after Lionsgate announced Law Abiding Citizen would receive a 4K Blu-ray steelbook. The film earned a “rotten” 26% from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, but the audience-driven Popcornmeter landed at a respectable 75%. It grossed $127 million at the box office in 2009 against a $50 million budget.

Kurt Wimmer wrote the script for Law Abiding Citizen, and F. Gary Gray directed the film. Law Abiding Citizen remains one of the most...

When Suge Knight sped away from Tam’s Burgers in Compton, California, on Jan. 29, 2015, he left two men lying on the asphalt behind him. He had just shifted gears and barreled over the pair with his two-ton Ford Raptor truck. One of the men, Terry Carter, would die from multiple blunt force injuries within the hour.

The other man, Cle “Bone” Sloan, was rushed to a hospital with two crushed ankles and a serious head laceration. Knight abandoned the truck and turned himself in for questioning at 3 a.m. the next day.

Heist movies for adventure movies’ addicts! (Photo Credit – Prime Video)

The heist action thriller film, ‘Jewel Thief—The Heist Begins’, starring Saif Ali Khan and Jaideep Ahlawat, was released on Netflix on 25th April 2025. But it failed to impress many critics and viewers. In case you are interested in watching some deftly crafted and slick heist films, then we recommend you check out these entertaining and gripping movies on Ott.

Hell or High Water (Release Year – 2016)

Streaming Platform – Amazon Prime Video

Plot: Set in West Texas, the film revolves around two brothers – a divorced father (Chris Pine) and an ex-con (played by Ben Foster). The duo plans a series of heists and targets the branches of The Texas Midland Bank, which intends to foreclose on their family ranch. But on their trail is a relentless Texas Ranger (played by Jeff Bridges), who is about to retire from his job. Will...

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The Amateur is a vigilante action spy thriller film directed by James Hawes from a screenplay co-written by Ken Nolan and Gary Spinelli. Based on the 1981 novel of the same name by Robert Littell, the 2025 film follows Charlie Heller, a brilliant CIA cryptographer whose wife was killed during a terrorist attack in London. After discovering that, he blackmails his superiors into giving him training to kill the people who killed his wife and use his expertise in doing so. The Amateur stars Rami Malek, Rachel Brosnahan, Caitriona Balfe, Michael Stuhlbarg, and Laurence Fishburne. So, if you loved the thrilling drama, intense revenge story, and compelling characters in The Amateur, here are some similar movies you should check out next.

Law Abiding Citizen (Starz & Prime Video Add-On) Credit – Overture Films

Law Abiding Citizen is a vigilante action thriller film...

Ice Cube's iconic Friday trilogy finds a new streaming home ahead of the hotly-anticipated fourth film in the franchise. All three movies are currently on Max.

The entire Friday trilogy is available for streaming on HBO's Max streaming service.Friday, Next Friday, and Friday After Next were all added to the Max streaming library on April 1, just a day before it was announced that a fourth Friday had officially entered development.

Co-written by Ice Cube and DJ Pooh, directed by F. Gary Gray, and produced by New Line Productions alongside Cube Vision, 1995's Friday starred Ice Cube as Craig Jones, a Los Angeles slacker whose life in South Central largely consists of peddling small amounts of weed with his friend Smokey, portrayed by Chris Tucker, and avoiding mooches and bullies like Anglea Means' Felicia and Tiny Lister Jr.'s Deebo.

The film also featured appearances from Hollywood icons such as Regina King,...

Jason Statham is back on movie theater screens again in “A Working Man,” the new action flick from “The Beekeeper” director David Ayer. The film is, like a lot of Statham’s most beloved and popular blockbusters, a thriller starring him as a man with a deadly skillset and a mission to bring some other very, very bad men to justice. That is an archetype that Statham has become exceptionally good at playing as he has slowly but surely established himself over the years as one of the best B-movie action stars of his generation.

For further proof of that, here are five of his best movies that also happen to be available to stream right now.

“Snatch” (Sony Pictures Releasing) “Snatch” (2000)

One of writer-director Guy Ritchie’s earliest films, “Snatch” is a crime comedy about a small-time boxing promoter (Jason Statham) who ends up embroiled in a screwball plot involving a stolen diamond,...

It's official: Friday 4 is in the works. After several years of Ice Cube trying to get a fourth movie in the Friday franchise off the ground, the sequel has been confirmed to be in development.

The revelation was divulged directly by New Line president and Cco, Richard Brener, in a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter. He shared that a deal was just finalized for Ice Cube to return for a fourth Friday film that he'll also be writing in addition to returning to his on-screen role. It was also revealed that the sequel will be titled Last Friday, which might be the obvious way to go, though it's also perfect, coinciding with the theme set by the previous movies' titles.

As Brener said, "We are making another Friday. We just closed a deal with Ice Cube to write and star. It’s going to be called Last Friday."

Ice...

Kevin Hart is set to star in “72 Hours,” an upcoming comedy directed by “Barbershop” and “Ride Along” filmmaker Tim Story that will be co-produced by Netflix and Sony Pictures.

Hart will play a 40-year-old executive who hopes to save his flailing career by joining a group of twentysomethings on a wild, three-day bachelor party, after he’s inadvertently added to their group text.

Hart is also producing through his Hartbeat banner alongside Will Packer, Davis Entertainment, and Counterbalance. Screenwriters are Matt Mider, Kevin Burrows, Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg. Ross Fanger is executive producer.

“72 Hours” is being produced under a first-look deal between Sony and Netflix in which Sony will offer Netflix a first look at any films it intends to make for streaming. All films theatrically released by Sony Pictures are also released after their exclusive window on Netflix as part of the deal.

Hart most recently...

Both Gerard Butler and Jamie Foxx have dazzling Hollywood careers spanning decades, and in 2009, the talented leading men squared off in the pulse-pounding action thriller Law Abiding Citizen, which focuses on a devoted family man-turned-vicious vigilante as he decides to take justice into his own hands and targets not only the legal system but also a prosecuting attorney after his wife and daughter are brutally murdered, and the killer manages to evade the death penalty.

Butler brilliantly goes against type and delivers a fantastic performance as a haunted man on a mission for vengeance, with the flick being the perfect follow-up to the Scotsman's latest exciting release, Den of Thieves 2: Pantera. When Law Abiding Citizen made its rip-roaring premiere, fans were blown away by the on-screen showdown between Butler and Foxx, though critics were far less impressed; let's check out why the gripping thriller is worth a watch.

Butler...

Director F. Gary Gray's hit remake of The Italian Jobis heading to a new streaming home.

Per Peacock, 2003's The Italian Job starring Jason Statham is officially set to join the streaming platform's expansive catalog of feature films. Fans will be able to catch The Italian Job on Peacock beginning April 1.

Based on the 1969 film of the same name starring Michael Caine, 2003's The Italian Job features an ensemble cast led by Mark Wahlberg in the role of Charlie Croker, a master thief who is on the hunt for both a major payday and revenge for the death of his mentor, John Bridger. Apart from Wahlberg and Statham, The Italian Job also stars Charlize Theron, Donald Sutherland, Seth Green, Mos Def, and Edward Norton. The Italian Job follows its core cast of characters, collectively known as The Team, as they embark upon a brazen, convoluted plan to steal away...

Acquired studio films that have benefited from a wide theatrical release offer the best bang for the buck for Netflix, providing more views per dollar spent than original features or acquired series, a new report has found.

The report, “Unpacking Netflix’s evolving movie strategy,” published Wednesday by Ampere Analysis, tracks viewership across Netflix for feature films, both originals and licensed, over time. Author Christen Tamisin found acquired films, including those under Netflix’s premium pay deals with Sony and NBCUniversal “contribute significantly to Netflix’s total viewing,” and, “with their lower cost-per-view,” are more cost-efficient than Netflix’s big-budget originals.

Netflix spent $1.07 billion on movie licensing in the first half of last year, the report notes, with acquired movies drawing 9.23 billion total views for the period. The streamer’s original movie spend over the same period was just under half that, at $0.51 billion, with fewer than half the total viewers,...

Exclusive: Scott Eastwood is joining the mushrooming cast of Paramount’s Regretting You opposite Allison Williams, Dave Franco, Mckenna Grace, Mason Thames and Willa Fitzgerald.

The pic is based on Collen Hoover’s 2019 bestselling novel; the author is an executive producer on the film with Williams, Franco and Grace. The movie hits cinemas October 24.

Regretting You is set against a shocking car wreck that takes the lives of two family members. The event unlocks a series of secrets, lies and regrets, as the people left behind can’t move forward without looking at the past. Regretting You explores what’s left behind after a tragedy, the messiness and grief, but also the beauty of life and love.

Josh Boone is directing and adapted the most recent draft, which was first penned by Susan McMartin (After).

Hoover-mania began at the summer box office...

A gripping crime thriller starring The Avengers' Samuel L. Jackson and an all-star cast is set to stream for free, bringing intense action and high-stakes drama.

Starting April 1, 2025, fans of high-stakes thrillers can revisit The Negotiator, one of Jackson’s most underrated films, as it arrives on Tubi. The 1998 crime drama, directed by F. Gary Gray, blends suspense, action, and psychological tension, keeping audiences on edge until the very last moment. With its gripping storyline and powerhouse performances, the film remains a standout in the crime thriller genre decades after its release.

A High-Stakes Battle of Wits

In The Negotiator, Jackson stars as Danny Roman, a top hostage negotiator for the Chicago Police Department who finds himself framed for corruption and murder. With his reputation and life on the line, Roman takes an entire office hostage in a desperate bid to prove his innocence. He demands to negotiate with Chris...

Queen Latifah started her music career in the late 1980s, beatboxing for the famed New York/New Jersey music collective the Flavor Unit. By 1989, she already had released her first single, "Wrath of My Madness," overseen by start producer Fab 5 Freddy. Her rap songs soon began getting a great deal of airplay, and she became a celebrity on "Yo! MTV Raps." Only a few years into her professional music career, Latifah branched out into acting, first appearing in Spike Lee's 1991 film "Jungle Fever." She was in mainstream Hollywood comedies like "House Party 2" and "Who's the Man?," while also appearing in dramas like "Juice" and "My Life." 

Latifah's star-making turn came in 1996, playing the role of Cleo in F. Gary Gray's "Set It Off," a hard-edged L.A. heist movie that also starred Jada Pinkett and Vivica A. Fox. From that point foward, she was a force to be reckoned with.

Queen Latifah, Jada Pinkett Smith, and Vivica A. Fox starred in a 1996 heist thriller called Set It Off, and it's currently number one on Tubi. Directed by F. Gary Gray, the film was released in November 1996 and was a box office hit, earning nearly $41.2 million at the global box office on a production budget of $9 million. It currently has a 70% critical rating and 89% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Set It Off's official plot reads:

Desperation drives four inner-city women to bank robbery in Los Angeles, then they start mistrusting each other.

The film follows a group of friends working together at a janitorial service after Frankie (Fox) loses her job as a bank teller. Joining her are Cleo (Queen Latifah), Stony (Pinkett Smith), and Tisean "T.T." (Kimberly Elise). The friends decide to rob banks and are successful at first, but soon they begin to mistrust each other while...

On your left! Before Anthony Mackie leads the latest star-spangled adventure for Marvel Studios, Captain America: Brave New World, we’re looking back at the film that introduced the masses to Sam Wilson and gave Chris Evans’s Steve Rogers his best cinematic experience, Captain America: The Winter Solider. As the ninth film in Marvel’s cinematic universe and a sequel to 2011’s Captain America: The First Avenger, The Winter Solider brings superhero cinema to another level for a political action-thriller unlike anything in the studio’s history before its 2014 release. Which begs the question: What the fuck happened to Captain America: The Winter Soldier?

Work on Captain America: The Winter Soldier began before Marvel released The First Avenger, with writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely penning the screenplay. Multiple directors approached the high-profile sequel, including The Bourne Ultimatum director George Nolfi and F. Gary Gray, known for directing Ice...

Tubi is about to get a major boost as the streaming home of Super Bowl Lix — and a hotly-anticipated half-time show by Kendrick Lamar. Fox’s ad-supported streaming service has gained popularity in recent years as a subscription-free alternative to the ever more-expensive streaming giants, and this month, it’s not just your streaming destination for the big game, it’s got also got a library full of great movies you can stream for free.

From iconic ’90s dramas to one of the best — and one of the freakiest — sci-fi movies of the 2020s so far, here are the best movies on Tubi in February.

New Line Cinema “Set It Off” (1996)

If you’ve seen GloRilla and Latto‘s latest collab, you might be in the mood to revisit the 1990s gem “Set It Off.” And if you’ve never seen it before, now’s the perfect time to rectify that.

The writers of the HBO comedy Insecure, Issa Rae and Syreeta Singleton, have announced that they’ve been developing a remake of F. Gary Gray’s heist film Set It Off back in 2019. Little news has been revealed since then and both have gone on to other projects. Notably, Singleton is recently coming off of the comedy, One of Them Days, which our own Tyler Nichol enjoyed as he said in his review, “I tend to be a tough sell when it comes to comedy and One of Them Days managed to really tickle my funny bone. The laughs per minute were high, with several subtle jokes that are easy to miss. It does what any great comedy does: blend comedy with emotional stakes for a fun time.”

Singleton is now giving an update on the state of the Set It Off remake. According to The Wrap, the writer expounded,...

As Syreeta Singleton continues a successful theatrical run for her comedy two-hander “One of Them Days,” she gave TheWrap an update on her upcoming reboot of the 1996 crime-action film “Set It Off.”

“It’s going to be a good one. It’s something that we were very careful about, because it’s ‘Set It Off,’ and we want to make sure we do it right. I feel like it’s a story that people are going to be really, really excited about,” Singleton explained. “We’ve infused a lot of humor into it in an organic way. But it was like, when you get four Black women together, how you not gon’ laugh? Even in the middle of robbing some s–t.”

Back in 2019, Issa Rae — who produced “One of Them Days” under her Hoorae Media and ColorCreative banners — announced plans to remake the film with a reimagined framework. Singleton...

As “One of Them Days” makes its run in theaters, marking the first time cinema has seen a Black female duo comedy since “B.A.P.S.,” TheWrap is listing the most iconic Black comedy duo films to watch after

They don’t come around often, but when Black comedy duo films do, they usually become beloved cult-followed flicks that everyone, but especially the Black community, can’t get enough of. Whether it’s notable hip-hop pairs teaming up, legendary comedians joining forces or the Wayans brothers giving us another cinematic gem, these matchups are hilarious, entertaining and just plain fun to watch.

Here are some more can’t-miss Black duo movies to get into after “One of Them Days.”

“Friday” (New Line Cinema) “The Friday” Franchise (1995)

When it comes to the ultimate Black duo, the first pair that comes to mind is Craig (Ice Cube) and Smokey (Chris Tucker...

Given that 2025 represents the 30-year anniversary of F. Gary Gray’s Friday, it’s somewhat of a surprise that some studio executive at Warner Bros. hadn’t gotten the bright, synergistic idea to remake it. Thankfully, the world probably got something better than that in Lawrence Lamont’s One of Them Days, a film that revives Friday’s spirit while bringing its own flavor, and taking the current state of the world into full account.

At least, the state of the world as far as lower-class Black folks are concerned. Los Angeles may be on fire literally, and the world metaphorically, but the rent is still gonna be due on the first. Not only that, but there’s that one apartment complex you don’t walk past, talented folks are gonna be stuck in a bum-ass job, and you’re gonna have to talk down some friend who hooked up with the wrong person.

Countless ink has been spilled and millions of feet have been shot about living in Los Angeles, and how it feels like you’re always on the precipice of apocalypse. With what we’ve seen and lived through, this past week that feeling was all too real.

Almost everyone in LA knows someone who’s lost everything in the wildfires that cut through the Pacific Palisades, Altadena and elsewhere. Its heartening to see Angelenos come together to help each other through volunteering, mutual aid and donations, and heartbreaking to see the GoFundMe pages that have been created for family after family. Our hearts are with everyone who has been affected by the wildfires in LA and beyond.

Los Angeles is more than just our home; it is the heart of Film Independent. This community is a big part of who we are, and we stand by your side during these challenging times.

Let’s face it. Theatre has been the most successful place for stories about popular musicians. Alicia Keys’ “Hell’s Kitchen” is selling big on Broadway, as is “Mj.” “A Beautiful Noise,” about Neil Diamond ‘s professional and personal history, had a nice run there, and is touring the country after its run in Los Angeles. We’ve had “Tina,” “Jersey Boys,” The Temptations’ “Ain’t Too Proud,” Carole King’s “Beautiful” and others. A new musical is being tested now about Frank Sinatra. But the most exciting news arrives this spring, when recent Tony winner Jonathan Groff portrays Bobby Darin.

But movies about musical stars? A mixed bag. (including Kevin Spacey in a bad one about Bobby Darin) Documentaries have been the safest form to chronicle the life of famous musicians: Ones about David Crosby, Joan Baez, Springsteen, and Linda Ronstadt. And, of course, “Woodstock” and Martin Scorsese’s “Last Waltz.

Frank Darabont is credited for directing three of the very best Stephen King adaptations, but between 1994's "The Shawshank Redemption" and 2007's "The Mist," the pulp maestro has rarely had an easy go of it.

If you're wondering what could be so awful about making a movie that constantly flickers around the top spot on the IMDb's ranking of the all-time greatest films, you need to remember that "The Shawshank Redemption" wasn't a runaway success when it hit theaters in the late summer of 1994. Based on a novella from King's celebrated "Different Seasons" collection, the film couldn't be sold as a tale from the "King of Horror," nor could it rely on star power given that Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman were typically viewed as ensemble actors. Its main selling point would be the reviews, and, well, critics didn't initially deliver a chorus of raves.

Things didn't really turn...

Vin Diesel’s 2003 action thriller A Man Apart has recently surged to the top of the Tubi streaming chart, defying more than two decades of terrible reviews from critics to find a new audience. The words “free streaming” and “Vin Diesel action movie” really do combine to make a strangely attractive prospect to many casual viewers scrolling for something to pass a couple of hours. Best known for iconic roles in franchises like Fast & Furious and Riddick, Diesel’s earlier work in A Man Apart offers a darker and more emotional story for the actor to handle. Unfortunately, critics seem to prefer it when he is just driving like a boy-racer and blowing things up.

Directed by F. Gary Gray, who would later collaborate with Diesel on The Fate of the Furious, A Man Apart tells the story of DEA agent Sean Vetter, a man looking for revenge over...

The need for revenge represents one of humanity's most innate impulses and, in film, acts as a great opportunity to explore moral decay, the pursuit of justice, and the price of violence. While a ruthless quest for revenge may not always be the most moral or stoic response to being wronged in life, it is certainly an exciting character motivation to get audiences engrossed in the story of an angry-ridden protagonist. From truly disturbing psychological thrillers to calculated satires addressing social and political woes, revenge-based cinema makes for riveting viewing.

As a timeless and universal theme, revenge has been a driving force behind some of the greatest movies ever made. With an intensity and emotional power almost unmatched in human psychology, the unstoppable drive for revenge gives actors a lot to work with when it comes to delivering career-best performances that linger in the audience's memory well after the credits have rolled.

Recently, action thriller fans have been rediscovering one of Gerard Butler’s best movies on streaming. And there’s a reason for this, as real-life events have had Butler fans thinking about the 2009 revenge outing Law Abiding Citizen and Butler’s vigilante character, Clyde Shelton. In the wake of recent events, namely the suspected shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO by Luigi Mangione, action thriller fans have been turning to the divisive action thriller on Prime Video and elsewhere to both try to make sense of what happened, and to simply praise the movie as one of Butler’s best.

Directed by F. Gary Gray and starring Gerard Butler and Jamie Foxx, Law Abiding Citizen was panned upon release, and stands at 26% from critics on Rotten Tomatoes. Landing on the opposite side of the cinematic spectrum, audiences loved the movie, awarding it 75% on the Popcornmeter. You can check out the official synopsis...

Keke Palmer, Giancarlo Esposito and Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor will receive special awards at the seventh annual American Black Film Festival (ABFF) Honors ceremony, presented by Nice Crowd.

The intimate, non-televised dinner will be held on Feb. 17 at the Sls hotel in Beverly Hills, hosted by Zainab Johnson, winner of the 2013 ABFF Comedy Wings competition.

“For decades, these incredible ABFF honorees have captivated audiences and shaped the cultural landscape with their groundbreaking work,” stated Jeff and Nicole Friday, CEO and president of Nice Crowd, respectively. “It’s a privilege to honor Aunjanue, Giancarlo and Keke for their extraordinary contributions to both the industry and our shared culture.”

Palmer will receive the Renaissance award, which is presented to a “trendsetting content creator in recognition of their outstanding work and commitment to championing diversity, equity, and inclusion” through their work. The Emmy-winning actor, producer, author and host recently celebrated the launch of her memoir...

There used to be a time when Netflix was just a relatively cheap streaming service where we could watch non-original shows and movies. That changed some time ago, and we are the better for it. The streaming giant makes a lot of money, of course, but they also pour back in some of those dollars to make quality original programming.

Netflix might produce more shows than movies - films can be more costly, obviously - and while every flick is not the remaking of Citizen Kane, the majority of the streamer's originals are better than what we see at the cinemas. In other words, if you take a risk on Netflix one Thursday night, you might unexpectedly find a new favorite movie.

But what we the best of Netflix's original films this year? A couple of the below are not the usual feature film-type material. All of these are worth...

No matter what your career is, it's important to set personal and professional boundaries. Whether that's refusing to do work when you're off the clock or just making a rule that you never work on your birthday (like me), it's important to know where your boundaries lie for peace of mind. When you're an actor, those boundaries can involve some very different elements, including performing in sex scenes. Though sex scenes may be awkward to film (unless you're Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh), they are often a necessary and important part of storytelling because sexuality is a part of the human experience. So, how do actors navigate their own boundaries when it comes to filming sex scenes? For Jada Pinkett Smith, it's always been about one simple rule.

On Lena Waithe's podcast "Legacy Talk" (via People), Pinkett Smith explained that despite the fact that she's acted in several love scenes onscreen over the years,...

For the first 10 years of his movie acting career, Dwayne Johnson was hungry to earn his bonafides as a serious performer. Oh sure, he was more than willing to play to the cheap seats by starring in stuff like "The Scorpion King" and "Doom." But this was also the era in which the wrestling legend worked with "Donnie Darko" director Richard Kelly on his gonzo cult curiosity "Southland Tales" and gleefully preened in front of a mirror as an out-and-proud gay bodyguard in F. Gary Gray's "Get Shorty" sequel "Be Cool." Having yet to establish a clean-cut brand for himself, the 2000s saw The Rock taking the kind of risks he would shirk for a decade after finally making it big in the movies.

That extended to Johnson's action films as well. When The Rock showed up as Luke Hobbs in 2011's "Fast Five" (only one of the...

Fast and Furious star Vin Diesel has carved out a legacy as a blockbuster action hero, but not all of his efforts in the genre have been as well-received as that multi-billion-dollar box office franchise. And now, one of those efforts is getting ready to stream for free. The movie in question is Diesels 2003 vigilante action thriller A Man Apart, which caused a pretty major divide between audiences and critics upon release, and finds the Riddick star leading the way as an undercover DEA agent on a violent vendetta.

Directed by F. Gary Gray of Law Abiding Citizen, Straight Outta Compton, and The Fate of the Furious fame, A Man Apart was criticized for its clich approach, as well as its inability to balance both action and drama in a satisfactory way. All of which resulted in a score of just 10% on Rotten Tomatoes. On the flip side, audiences were more taken with Diesels brooding,...

The Force is strong with Simon Kinberg.

Lucasfilm has hired the prolific writer and producer to write and produce a new trilogy of “Star Wars” films. An early report insinuated are that this will actually be chapters 10 – 12 of the Skywalker Saga, continuing the path that most recently concluded with “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” in 2019. But there are others that insist this is a standalone series, something akin to the trilogies that David Benioff and D.B. Weiss and, separately, Rian Johnson, were working on for the company. It is being referred to as a “new saga.”

Kinberg is no stranger to “Star Wars.” Following the acquisition of Lucasfilm by Disney, Kinberg was part of a small brain trust that was working on new projects for the studio. He consulted on J.J. Abrams’ “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” and co-created the animated series “Star Wars: Rebels” with Dave Filoni.

One of the earlier action movie roles for action hero superstar Jason Statham is all set to race its way onto Prime Video this Friday. Statham is, of course, now considered to be one of the best action movie stars of all time, with his characters often depicted as gruff fighting experts who are quicker to use their fists than their words. Well, in a slight change of pace, fans can watch The Stath turn on the charm in The Italian Job, which is due to land on the streaming platform on November 1.

Starring alongside an all-star ensemble cast that includes Mark Wahlberg, Charlize Theron, Edward Norton, Seth Green, Mos Def, and Donald Sutherland, The Stath plays crew member Handsome Rob. Rather than a straight-up remake, The Italian Job is inspired by the 1969 British movie of the same name starring Michael Caine, and follows a gang of thieves who find...

“Life is like a box of chocolates—you never know what you’re gonna get.” This classic line from Forrest Gump perfectly encapsulates the unpredictable nature of the film industry, especially for stars like Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart, who find themselves facing some tough times as their recent projects stumble out of the gate.

Dwayne Johnson & Kristofer Hivju in Red One (2024) | Credit: : Amazon MGM Studios

Borderlands, directed by Eli Roth and featuring a stellar lineup that includes Cate Blanchett, Hart, and Jack Black, landed in theaters this August 2024. Despite the high expectations, the film fell flat, struggling to make a dent at the box office and failing to recoup its budget amid a torrent of negative reviews.

Likewise, Johnson seems to be feeling the heat with his upcoming flick, Red One, which stars him alongside Chris Evans. Directed by Jake Kasdan, this highly anticipated action movie is set to debut next month,...

"Make me believe why I should deal with you ever again!" Time for yet another Classic Trailer Rewatch session. Back to the 90s for another big summer movie from that era. The Negotiator was one of the big summer movies in 1998, opening at the end of July after lots of early hype. I remember being very excited to watch it and find out what was going on, and I recall everyone else being into it, too. Strangely checking the box office numbers, it only ended up earning $44M on a $43.M budget. I thought it was a bigger hit - but I guess not! In a desperate attempt to prove his innocence, a skilled police negotiator accused of corruption and murder takes hostages in a government office to gain the time he needs to find the truth. I love the twist in this - the expert negotiator becomes the hostage...

Like sisters are supposed to, the stars of “His Three Daughters” will support each other throughout this year’s Oscar race.

Carrie Coon, Natasha Lyonne, and Elizabeth Olsen — all praised for their performances in Azazel Jacobs’ family drama — have chosen to submit for Oscar consideration in the supporting actress category, it was revealed to Variety exclusively. In addition, co-stars Jovan Adepo, Jay O. Sanders and Rudy Galvan will be vying for supporting actor consideration.

Read: You can see all Academy Award predictions in all 23 categories on one page on the Variety Awards Circuit: Oscars.

Written and directed by Jacobs, “His Three Daughters” follows three estranged sisters reuniting to care for their terminally ill father in his Brooklyn apartment. The film premiered at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival and was acquired by Netflix for a reported $7 million. It has since received glowing reviews, maintaining a 98% score on Rotten Tomatoes. Variety’s chief film critic,...

Quick Links The Original Italian Job Was Also Star-Studded The Similarities Between The Italian Job Films Are Slim The Original Ending Was Brilliantly Open-Ended And Comical

Although he didn't quite make the Olympics during his younger years as a competitive diver, the action star Jason Statham became a household name from his Hollywood fame stemming from his many action and crime-drama movies. First appearing in a speaking role in one of Guy Ritchie's original films Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels, Jason would later skyrocket to fame four years later when he played the quiet but deadly chauffeur known as The Transporter.

A mere year later, Director F. Gary Gray would cast Jason Statham in a star-studded heist film that took cinemas by storm, The Italian Job. When a heist in Italy goes wrong, Charlie Croker, played by Mark Wahlberg, sets up an elaborate gold heist against a former ally who betrayed them.

Agents K and J never retired in a newly released Men in Black 5 concept trailer. The franchise stars Will Smith (Agent J) and Tommy Lee Jones (Agent K) and was first introduced to audiences in 1997. The original movie saw Smith as an inexperienced rookie working alongside Jones' gruff veteran. It would go on to earn $590 million at the box office on a budget of just $90 million. The franchise has boasted sustained success, but Men in Black 5 has not been confirmed, though Sony is reportedly developing the blockbuster follow-up.

In a concept trailer developed by YouTuber Kh Studio with the help of AI, the two agents reunite as Agent K steps out of retirement. With an alien threat coming to wage war against humanity, the stars are asked to reunite to save the world. The story would take place a decade after Men in Black 3 and would see F. Gary Gray...

Exclusive: Emmy nominee Vincent D’Onofrio (Daredevil: Born Again) has boarded Darren Aronofsky’s Sony crime thriller Caught Stealing, starring Austin Butler, in a supporting role.

D’Onofrio’s role is under wraps, as have been all supporting parts thus far. Based on the books by Charlie Huston, who adapted the screenplay, the film follows Hank Thompson (Butler), a burned-out former baseball player, as he’s unwittingly plunged into a wild fight for survival in the downtown criminal underworld of ’90s NYC.

Zoë Kravitz, Regina King, Matt Smith, Liev Schreiber, Will Brill, Bad Bunny and Griffin Dunne will also star, with Aronofsky’s Protozoa producing.

After reprising as crime boss Wilson Fisk aka Kingpin — a fan-favorite character first inhabited in Netflix’s Daredevil — in Disney+’s Echo, D’Onofrio will once again take on the Marvel villain in the much-anticipated series Daredevil: Born Again, which is expected to premiere on the same...

Law Abiding Citizen ranks as the ninth most popular movie on Netflix globally for the week of August 5 11. The movie stars Gerard Butler as a man who turns to violence after the criminal justice system fails to exact justice upon his family's killer. Law Abiding Citizen earned mostly poor reviews from critics, but fared generally better with audiences.

Law Abiding Citizen makes Netflix's top 10 chart 15 years after its release. Directed by F. Gary Gray, Law Abiding Citizen stars Gerard Butler as Clyde, a man who decides to dish out his own violent form of vigilante justice after the Philadelphia criminal justice system lets his wife and daughter's killer go free. The film, which also stars Jamie Foxx, wasn't well-received upon its release in 2009 and has only a 26% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Now, however, data shared by Netflix reveals that Law Abiding Citizen is experiencing success on streaming. The film ranks as...

More than a decade since its release, Gerard Butler (Olympus Has Fallen) and Jamie Foxxs (Django Unchained) high-octane action flick, Law Abiding Citizen has landed a new set of eyes and interest courtesy of Netflix. Sure, the movie may not have completely blown critics out of the water, holding it down on Rotten Tomatoes with a depressing 26%, but now its soaring alongside other hot titles on the streamers international Top 10 in the #5 spot. Butting heads every step of the way, Butler and Foxxs characters ultimately both want to see justice handled properly in the F. Gary Gray-helmed feature, but have very different ways of getting it done.

Straight Outta Compton mixes fact and fiction, creating a more cinematic experience. Ice Cube really did smash a Priority Records office after they failed to fulfill their promise. While some events were accurate, the movie took liberties with the band's story for dramatic effect.

The 2015 movie about the notorious hip-hop group, N.W.A., brought their incredible true story to the big screen and the dramatic biopic left many wondering how accurate is Straight Outta Compton. Directed by F. Gary Gray, the director behind films like Friday, The Negotiator, and Set It Off, the film shows the origins of N.W.A. while diving into the personal lives of Eazy-e, Dr. Dre, Mc Ren, DJ Yella, and rapper turned actor Ice Cube. Like most biopics, Straight Outta Compton mixes facts with fiction to create a more cinematic experience.

Because Straight Outta Compton mixes fact and fiction, it does leave the audience with a lot of questions.